The Yoga of Sound Listening to the Music of the Universe, Parts 1 & 2

By James Bean
PART ONE
Introduction
No doubt, many of you saw the movie Contact, based uon the boo! with that
same tit"e authored by the "ate #r$ Car" %a&an$ The story was about %ETI '
the search of e(traterrestria" inte""i&ence$ In this )"m, scientists interceted
radio si&na" emanatin& from another art of the &a"a(y$ These broadcasts
were bein& beamed direct"y at the earth by an a"ien civi"i*ation tryin& to &et
our attention$ After many years they )na""y succeeded$ Their messa&e was
eventua""y decihered+ it contained schematics for constructin& a
transortation device which wou"d a""ow humans to trave" to the distant wor"d
where the si&na"s were comin& from$
After viewin& this hi"osohica" )"m, I cou"dn,t he" comarin& the ara""e"s
between this %ETI scenario and one of the wor"d,s o"dest forms of yo&a-
meditation. %habda /o&a, the /o&a of the %ound Current$ %habda is an ancient
%ans!rit word for divine or cosmic sound, heaven"y music$ 0or thousands of
years, human bein&s around the wor"d have been tunin& into a sound which
comes from beyond the stars$ 0or the ractitioners of the /o&a of %ound, this
heaven"y music is a"so a means of transortation$ By becomin& one with the
ho"y stream of sound, sou"s durin& their meditation ractice )nd themse"ves
ascendin& in sirit toward the "ace where the sound emanates$ This sound
connects a"" sou"s of the universe to the time"ess wor"d of the 1reat %irit$
Parts Two Three, 0our, etc$ wi"" be a study of the Path of %ound in the various
wor"d re"i&ions inc"udin&. Is"am, the Austra"ian Abori&ines, Native American,
Buddhist, 1nostic, Christian, Jewish, 2indu, and %i!h traditions$
3 James
PART T4O
T2E PAT2 O0 %O5N# IN T2E 4OR6# RE6I1ION%
Bein& an initiate of the %habda /o&a7%ant 8at tradition and very much interested
in comarative mysticism 9 re"i&ion, I wou"d "i!e to share with you some
:uotes from around the wor"d on c"airaudience, the abi"ity to hear the mystic-
%ound, the %on& of the Creator, the ;oice of the 1reat 6ife that brou&ht a"" the
universes into e(istence$
1
SACR! MUS"C AS A# ATTMPT T$ "M"TAT T% MYST"C&S$U#!
The %ound of 1od,s ;oice said, <6et there be ==>
<In the Be&innin& was ==$ the 4ord$>
Indi&enous cu"tures suort the be"ief that the universe was brou&ht into
e(istence throu&h sound$ The Austra"ian abori&ines be"ieve in <son&"ines,>
meanin& the <way of the "aw,> which san& the wor"d, and everythin& in it, into
e(istence$ Native American traditions sea! of the <%on& of the Creator> that
created "ife and sustains the universe$
<The Boo! of the 2oi> ?ub"ished by ;i!in& Boo!s@, the )rst reve"ation of the
2oi,s historica" and re"i&ious wor"d-view of "ife, contains a beautifu" story of
creation$ In this &enesis account, the son& of creation is the essentia" 0orce
that brin&s to "ife the )rst humans, <Adam and Eve,> if you wi"", and the Earth
itse"f is described as a musica" instrument$
<A"" the vibratory centers a"on& the Earth,s a(is
from o"e to o"e
resounded 2is Ca""+
the Earth tremb"ed+
the universe :uivered in tune$
Thus 2e made the who"e wor"d an instrument of sound,
and an instrument for carryin& messa&es,
resoundin& raise to the Creator of a""$>
In this account, it says that it is our duty, our sacred urose as human bein&s to
echo this son& of creation bac! to the Creator a&ain by <ma!in& a Aoyfu"
sound throu&hout the "and$>
Chant and sacred music of the wor"d re"i&ions can a"so cause sou"s to yearn to
hear the 2armony of A"" 2armonies, to deve"o a desire to meditate uon the
inner %ound of the Creator that )""s the heavens$ Accordin& to the 8asters of
%ant 8at and those who ractice this form of meditation, this Current of
%ound, 6i&ht, and 6ove wi"" ta!e us bac! to 1od a&ain, wi"" ta!e us 2ome, if we
become one with it$ 8ore "ater on this /o&a of the 4ord$
%acred music is I8ITATIN1, 8I8ICBIN1 hi&her siritua" sounds, brin&in& some
asect of the 8usic of 2eaven to the hysica" wor"d$ Tibetan be""s and bow"s
do this very eCective"y$ The inventor of the %itar, the most we""-!nown
instrument of Indian c"assica" music, said that it was his attemt to <cature
the music of the %irit in terms of the hysica" wor"d$> ?<The Pi"&rima&e of
James,> 1eor&e Arnsby Jones, Peacehaven Press@ 2e considered his attemt
<a fai"ure$> As beautifu" as the sitar is, the Rea" %ound is far more &"orious than
any sound or outer music of this wor"d$
2armonic overtone chantin& ?the sin&in& of two or more notes at the same timeD@
is a voca" techni:ue used in 8on&o"ia, Tuva, 6aos, and other Asian countries$
The human voice is transformed into a sonic rainbow of tones and overtones
ma!in& the human voice resemb"e the 8usic of the %heres$ A few years
bac! I "earned how to do this and it,s a wonderfu" ractice, a &reat e(ercise for
the human voice$
In India, many have verba"i*ed the %ound of the universe as
<AAAAA5555588888,> the O8 chant$ In Tibet, Buddhist mon!s created an
otherwor"d"y form of chant ' their attemt to reroduce audib"y some of the
inner sounds they heard durin& their meditations$ The various Christian,
2
%ethian ?Jewish@, 2ermetic, and other 1nostic schoo"s of E&yt a"so devised
forms of chant that they erceived as verba""y mimic!in&7e(ressin& the Rea"
Name of 1od that otherwise is hidden in the si"ence of the sou"$ They chanted
various combinations of vowe"s. <I raise /ou$ I ca"" your Name that is hidden
within me. A O EE O EE
OOOOOOOIIIIIOOOOOOOOOOOO5555555555555555555555OOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOO$>
?The 1ose" of the E&ytians in. <The Na& 2ammadi 6ibrary In En&"ish,>
James 8$ Robinson, 2arer Co""ins@
The 1nostic 1ose"s are )""ed with many e(am"es of chant and Names of 1od
that were used by E&ytian mystics durin& meditation ractice to e("ore the
Bin&dom of the 2eavens within, what my teacher ca""ed <the 4onders of
Inner %ace$> These ancient te(ts rovide many e(am"es of sou"s ascendin&
in sirit throu&h various heaven"y rea"ms on their way bac! to <The Ei&hth,>
where the Name"ess One, the Ocean of 6ove and Comassion resides$
4hether it,s drummin&, Russian Orthodo( or Cotic chant, or 1re&orian
"ainchant, an Indian c"assica" ra&a or ba&ies, for mi""ennia humans have
been echoin& various asects of the %on& of Creation$ <0or in the be&innin& of
the times so did we a"" share in the 2o"y %tream of %ound that &ave birth to a""
creation$> ?Essene 1ose" of Peace, ;o"ume 0our@
0or much of recorded history human bein&s have reorted hearin& sound
comin& from beyond the si"ence$ In the ne(t insta""ment I,"" focus uon inner
mystic-sound in Buddhist, Bahai, and Christians scritures$
<4ho e"se is Christ but the %ound of 1odE> ?Acts of John, 1nostic@
%ource. htt'())*e*+ers,co-,net)ahi*sa)./2,ht*0
The Yoga of Sound Listening to the Music of the Universe, Parts 1 & /
23 4a*es 2ean
3
PART T2REE
T% PAT% $5 S$U#! "# T% 6$RL! RL"7"$#S
Across the many centuries and around the wor"d, mystics, in the scritures
they "eft behind, recorded some of their e(eriences with inner %ound, the
heaven"y 8usic that comes from beyond the si"ence$ Encounterin& the
%ound Current mi&ht be as subt"e as hearin& a faint tone or hum in
meditation, or as b"issfu" as becomin& one with a cosmic symhony on a
hi&her "ane of e(istence ' an e(erience beyond what earth"y "an&ua&e
is caab"e of tru"y conveyin&$
T% S$U#! CURR#T "# 2U!!%"ST MYST"C"SM
The ancient Buddhist scriture !nown as the %uran&ama %utra sea!s of
the way to en"i&htenment throu&h meditation uon the inner %ound$
<Ava"o!iteshvara Buddha, the hearer and answerer of rayer, has visited a""
the Buddha-"ands of the ten :uarters of the universe and has ac:uired
transcendenta" owers of bound"ess freedom and fear"essness and has
vowed to emanciate a"" sentient bein&s from their bonda&e and suCerin&$
2ow sweet"y mysterious is the Transcendenta" %ound of Ava"o!iteshvaraD Is
is the subdued murmur of the seatide settin& inward$ Its mysterious %ound
brin&s "iberation and eace to a"" sentient bein&s who in their distress are
ca""in& for aid$>
This beautifu" sutra contains discourses teachin& those who ractice
meditation to turn their attention inward and "isten for siritua" %ound$ <A""
the brothers in this &reat assemb"y shou"d reverse your outward ercetion
of hearin& and "isten inward"y for the erfect"y uni)ed and intrinsic %ound
of your own mind-Essence$> ?<A Buddhist Bib"e,> #wi&ht 1oddard, Beacon
Press@
"##R SP"R"TUAL %AR"#7 A#! S"#7 "# 2A%A" 8A#! SU5"9
TAC%"#7S
The fo""owin& :uote, which teaches us about ac:uirin& Fsiritua" eyes, is
ta!en from The Reve"ation of BahG,u,""Gh, ;o"$ H, $ IJ by Adib Taher*adeh.
<BahG,u,""Gh teaches K:uotin& fromL the 8athnavi Kwritten by Rumi, the %u)
oetL that. Fman wi"" not be ab"e to receive the 6i&ht of 1od in this day
un"ess he ac:uires a new Eye$ Eyes which are )(ed on the thin&s of this
wor"d can never see the &"ory of 2is Reve"ation, and ears which are tuned
to the voices of the un&od"y cannot hear the 8e"odies of the Bin&dom$, By
Fnew eyes, and Fnew ears, 2e means siritua" eyes and siritua" ears$ 2e
states that since the Eye of the %irit receives its 6i&ht from 1od it is
shamefu" to "et it turn to a stran&er, and re-aMrms that the urose of 1od
in creatin& the inner Eye was that man mi&ht beho"d the beauty of 2is
8anifestation in this wor"d$
In FThe 2idden 4ords,, Persian NJJ, BahG,u,""Gh revea"s.
O %on Of #ustD B"ind thine eyes, that thou mayest beho"d 8y beauty+ sto
thine ears, that thou mayest hear!en unto the sweet 8e"ody of 8y ;oice+
4
emty thyse"f of a"" "earnin&, that thou mayest arta!e of 8y !now"ed&e+
and sanctify thyse"f from riches, that thou mayest obtain a "astin& share
from the ocean of 8y eterna" wea"th$ B"ind thine eyes, that is, to a"" save
8y beauty+ sto thine ears to a"" save 8y 4ord+ emty thyse"f of a""
"earnin& save the !now"ed&e of 8e+ that with a c"ear vision, a ure heart
and an attentive Ear thou mayest enter the court of 8y ho"iness$>
T% S$U#! CURR#T : T% AU!"2L L"5 STRAM "#
C%R"ST"A#"TY
E(eriences with the %ound Current ' eo"e hearin& heaven"y 8usic '
are a"so recorded in the Bib"e and other siritua" writin&s of the 4est$ In the
Boo! of Reve"ation we )nd this. <And I heard a %ound from heaven "i!e the
roar of rushin& waters, and "i!e a ea" of thunder$ After that, the %ound I
heard was "i!e that of harists "ayin& their hars$> ?from Reve"ation, JO@
2i"de&ard of Bin&en, the 1erman 8ystic, wrote. <To the Trinity be raiseD
1od is 8usic, 1od is 6ife that nurtures every creature in its !ind$> %he a"so
said.
The sou" is !issed by 1od in its innermost re&ions$ 4ith interior yearnin&,
&race and b"essin& are bestowed$ It is a yearnin& to ta!e on 1od,s &ent"e
yo!e, It is a yearnin& to &ive one,s se"f to 1od,s way$ The marve"s of 1od
are not brou&ht forth from one,s se"f$ Rather, it is more "i!e a Chord, a
%ound that is "ayed$ The tone does not come out of the chord itse"f, but
rather, throu&h the touch of the 8usician$ I am, of course, the "yre and har
of 1od,s !indnessD
The En&"ish 8ystic Richard Ro""e rePects in <The 0ire of 6ove.>
<4hen Christ wishes it =$$ he receives within himse"f the %on& sent into
him from the heavens, and his meditation is chan&ed into 8e"ody, and his
sirit "in&ers in marve"ous 2armony$>
The &reat 8asters teach that the %ound of 1od is within everyone ' this
2o"y %tream of %ound is within every "ivin& thin&$ This is why those &iven to
e("orin& inner sace throu&h meditation, be they from the East or the
4est, have discovered this Rea"ity "ayin& within themse"ves$
PART 0O5R
The #ag %a**adi Li+rar3 that ;as discovered in g3't,
Su< 0iterature, the scri'tures of "ndia,
%AR"#7 T% MUS"C $5 T% SP%RS "# SU5" MYST"C"SM
<The 8ysticism of %ound> by 2a*rat Inayat Bhan is an ama*in& boo!
resentin& the %u) teachin&s on inner %ound and the 25 Chant ?25 is an
Arabic word ronounced. <whoooooooooo>@$ I hi&h"y recommend it to
anyone interested in the %ound Current teachin&s of %u) mysticism$
2a*rat Bhan on hearin& the 8ystic-%ound. Abstract %ound is ca""ed %aut-e
%armad by the %u)s+ a"" sace is )""ed with it$ The vibrations of this %ound
are too )ne to be either audib"e or visib"e to the materia" eyes or ears,
since it is even diMcu"t for the eyes to see the form and co"or of the
5
etherea" vibrations on the e(terna" "ane$ It was the %aut-e %armad, the
%ound of the abstract "ane, which 8uhammad heard in the cave of 1har-e
2ira when he became "ost in his divine Idea"$ The Qur,an refers to this
%ound in the words, FBeD and a"" became$, 8oses heard this very %ound on
8ount %inai, when in communion with 1od+ and the same 4ord was audib"e
to Christ when absorbed in his 2eaven"y 0ather in the wi"derness$ %hiva
heard the same Anhad Nada durin& his %amadhi Kdee meditationL in the
cave of the 2ima"ayas$ The Pute of Brishna is symbo"ic of the same %ound$
This %ound is the source of a"" reve"ation to the 8asters, to whom it is
revea"ed from within+ it is because of this that they !now and teach one
and the same truth$ ?The %u) 8essa&e %eries, II@
%AR"#7 T% S$U#! CURR#T "# T% A#C"#T 7#$ST"C RL"7"$#
Before the %u) mystics of the west, in ancient times there were 1nostics.
Jewish, 2ermetic, and Christian mystics who a"so described hearin& the
%ound, and seein& the 6i&ht of 1od whi"e in dee states of meditation$ The
fo""owin& is from <The 1nostic 8ystery> by Andrea 1race #iem$ %he :uotes
from the Na& 2ammadi 6ibrary, severa" ancient new testament-"i!e
co""ections of ho"y boo!s written in the Cotic "an&ua&e of E&yt.
8an,s sou" sha"" become, when it "eaveth the body, a &reat Pood of 6i&ht,
so as to traverse a"" the re&ions unti" it cometh into the Bin&dom of 8ystery$
KIL turned to myse"f KandL saw 6i&ht that KsurroundedL me and the 1ood
that was in me+ I became divine$ ?A""o&enes@ In Trimorhic Protennoia the
&nostic writer ?in the voice of 1od@ describes how this transformation ta!es
"ace.
I cast KvoicedL %eech Kor %oundL into the ears of those who !now me$ And I
am invitin& you into the e(a"ted, erfect 6i&ht$ 8oreover ?as for@ this
?6i&ht@, when you enter it you wi"" be &"ori)ed = you wi"" become &"orious"y
&"orious, the way you )rst were when you were Light$ And I hid myse"f in
everyone and revea"ed Kmyse"fL within them, and every mind see!in& me
"on&ed for me, for it is I who &ave shae to the A"" when it had no form$ And
I transformed their forms into ?other@ forms unti" the time when a form wi""
be &iven to the A""$ It is throu&h me that the ;oice ori&inated = And it is a
4ord, by virtue of a %ound+ it was sent to i""umine those who dwe"" in
dar!ness=KIL am a 6i&ht that i""uminates the A""$ I am the 6i&ht that reAoices
Kin myL brethren, for I came down to the wor"d KofL morta"s=
4hen describin& the hi"osohica" nature of the cosmos, 1nostic writers
emhasi*e this %ound Current, various"y referred to as 4ord, ;oice, 6o&os,
%eech, or sim"y %ound$ A"so, throu&hout 1nostic te(ts reference is made
to the manifestation of a mystica" 6i&ht, !nown as Treasury of 6i&ht,
Immeasurab"e 6i&ht, etc$ In the Trimorhic Protennoia it is described in the
fo""owin& way.
I am Kthe 4ordL who dwe""s Kin theL ineCab"e K%i"enceL$ I dwe"" in unde)"ed
K6i&htL and a Thou&ht Krevea"ed itse"fL ercetib"y throu&h Kthe &reatL
%ound = And it Kthe %oundL e(ists from the be&innin& in the foundations of
6
the A""$ But there is a 6i&ht KthatL swe""s hidden in %i"ence and it was the
)rst to KcomeL forth=I a"one am the 4ord, ineCab"e, incorrutib"e,
immeasurab"e, inconceivab"e$ It ?the 4ordE@ is a hidden 6i&ht = bein&
unreroducib"e, an immeasurab"e 6i&ht, the source of A""=It is foundation
that suorts every movement of the Aeons that be"on& to the mi&hty
&"ory$ It is the foundin& of every foundation$ It is the breath of the owers$ It
is the eye of the three ermanence,s, which e(ist as a ;oice by virtue of a
Thou&ht$ And it is a 4ord by virtue of the %ound = I ?the 4ord@ became a
foundation for the A""==$$
?Trimorhic Protennoina in, <The Na& 2ammadi 6ibrary In En&"ish,> James
8$ Robinson, 2arer Co""ins@
T% #A!A A#! S%A2!A Y$7A SYSTMS $5 "#!"A
2induism is very much a re"i&ion of divine 6i&ht and %ound+ many Indian
scritures and siritua" traditions teach about the universe bein& created
throu&h the %ound of A58, the ecstasy of hearin& the cosmic Pute of
Brishna, or hearin& the 5nstruc! 8e"ody ?Anhad %habad@ of 1od that
reverberates throu&hout the universe$ /o&is of Nada /o&a and 8asters of
%habda /o&a 8editation imart to their students !now"ed&e about
deve"oin& their inner siritua" sense of transcendenta" hearin&$
#A!A Y$7A, %AR"#7 T% TR#AL S$U#!
A &ood e(am"e of Nada /o&a ractice is found in, <The %hambha"a 1uide
To /o&a,> 1eor&e 0euerstein, %hamba"a Boo!s. <0irst, the ractitioner
shou"d b"oc! his or her ears with the )n&ers and focus inward"y, "istenin&
for the arisin& of the inner %ound$ To be&in with, a variety of sounds may be
heard ' the ractitioner may hears sounds "i!e. the sound of the ocean, a
rain c"oud, a drum, a !ett"edrum, a conch, a be"" Krin&in& soundL, a horn, a
Pute, a "ute, or a bee Khummin& soundL$> The <Nada Bindu 5anishad,> an
ancient 2indu scriture on %ound 8editation ?Nada /o&a@, mentions the
ossibi"ity of hearin& a sound that resemb"es the ;ina, an instrument used
in Indian c"assica" music$ Accordin& to this tradition, these sounds are
a"ways resoundin& in the sou", thus when one attains a certain "eve" of
sti""ness and concentration, siritua" %ound becomes audib"e$ In truth, the
inner %ound is a"ways there, it is we ?our attention@ who come and &o$ 4e
&ain awareness of the %ound, creatin& the i""usion that the %ound has
<arrived$> 4hen we &et distracted or "eave oC our meditation ractice, it
seems to us that the %ound has <stoed$> 2owever, this otherwor"d"y
%ound continues, "i!e radio waves Powin& throu&h the atmoshere,
avai"ab"e to be <tuned in> anytime we want to "isten$
The vibrations of this Sound are too fine to be either audible or visible to the material eyes or
ears
(Harat !han"
#et$ as %asters and mysti&s often 'oint out$ there is another (ind of hearin) and another (ind
of seein)* The eyes and ears of the soul + the s'iritual senses + &an be develo'ed* There is
,i)ht &omin) from beyond the dar(ness$ and there is %usi& &omin) from beyond the silen&e$
-
for those .ho have ears to hear/ those .ho desire to meditate and dis&over the .onders of
inner s'a&e for themselves*
0art 1ive .ill fo&us u'on the Shabda #o)a tradition of 2ndia/ %editation u'on the 2nner ,i)ht
and Sound (Shabad$ Saut3e Sarmad" of 4od*
5